1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a live computer game in general, and to VIP baccarat game in particular.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Baccarat is a live table card game played in casinos or gaming establishments. The object of the game of baccarat is for a player to successfully wager on whether the “banker” hand, the “player” hand is going to win, or there will be a tie. In order for a hand to win, the hand count, i.e. the sum of the cards in the hand, should be closer to the target count of nine (9) than the other hand. If the hand value exceeds ten, the hand value is determined to be the digit value of the raw hand value. For example, if the raw hand value is 15, the hand value is determined to be 5. The bettor wins even money if he selects the winning hand; wins nine times the wager if he selects tie which indeed occurs; gets his money back if he bet on banker or on player and the result is a tie (a “push” situation); and loses the wager if he bet on tie and the result is player or banker, or if he bet on player or on banker and the other one was closer to nine. Due to the rules of baccarat, and particularly the pre-established card drawing rules, the “banker” hand has slightly higher chances of winning than does the “player” hand. Therefore, if the bettor wagers on the “banker” hand and the “banker” hand wins, the bettor must pay to the gaming establishment a commission, typically about 5% of the amount the bettor wins. No commission is paid if the bettor successfully wagers on the “player” hand.
The manner of play of baccarat is as follows: a multiple number of decks of standard playing cards, 52 in number, are used, typically eight decks are shuffled together and placed in a shoe box from which the cards are dealt during the play of the game. Each player makes a wager on whether the “banker” hand will win, the “player” hand will win, or a tie will occur. Once all wagers are made, two cards are dealt from the shoe box to the “player” hand and two cards are dealt to the “banker” hand in alternate fashion. The cards are turned face-up, the values of the “player” hand and the “banker” hand are summed, and the unit digit is determined to be the hand value. Aces count as one, faces and tens count as zero and the other cards count their respective value. For example, a seven, an eight and a queen total fifteen, so the hand value is determined to be five.
The highest hand value in baccarat is nine, and all hand values range from zero to nine. If a set of predetermined “player” criteria are met, a third card will be dealt to the player, and similarly for the “banker”, although the criteria are not identical for the “player” and for the “banker”. The value of this third card is added to the total of the first two cards and a new hand value is established. Again, if the new hand total exceeds nine, the hand value is determined by subtracting ten from the total hand. The rules for determining whether a third card is dealt are fixed, there is no discretion for either the “player” hand or the “banker” hand on whether a third card is dealt. Prior to drawing, each player can place their wagers on “player”, “banker”, or tie. Whichever of the player hand or banker hand is nearest to nine is the winner, and if the hands are equal, it is a tie.
Live Baccarat is offered to players who wish to feel the thrill and excitement of a live game, although they are not personally present in a gaming room.
An online live game comprises a real gaming facility such as a casino or a gaming room, wherein the game is played by a manager, such as a human dealer, and captured by a capturing device such as a video camera. Multiple online players, each using a computer view the online game via a display device such as a monitor of the computer displaying the captured game, and participate in the game by using input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen or another pointing device or mechanism. However, even when a player views and participates in an online game, the thrill and excitement of personally participating in a baccarat game in a real gaming room is still missing. Also missing is a way for the gaming room operator to reward or encourage a certain player.
There is therefore a need in the art for a method and apparatus that will provide an online Baccarat player participating in a remote game with enhanced excitement and added benefits, in order to make him feel as if he was personally present in a gaming room.